I don’t know if I like the fact that there is a sandboxed mode at all, but perhaps it’s the easiest way for developers to deal with cheaters, whatever their reason for cheating.
I still would love an ‘off-line’ mode for something to do when you’re out of range of the internet. Whether it’s a completely different version of mpq or a mode within then game, I think that would be something a ton of people would like. Could even call it sandbox mode 
Valhalla, is that you?!
I shall ride the great cheating 8 legged horse, Sleipnir into your glory!
I have to agree as well.
I seriously considered this for a while but the cheats for iOS seemed tricky/annoying to pull off.
I’m in an alliance now so that complicates things.
But, if I could have hit a button that said “sandbox me”, I would have hit it without giving it another thought.
There’s always Steam. lol!
I am a hacker and this is my story.
I started playing MPQ many months ago. I didn’t pay anything and even with the random pains and slow gains, I was really enjoying the game. I’d completed most of the prologue and participated in a few events. I was on my way to a 2* roster with Thor, Storm, Magneto and Ares. I had not pulled an OBW cover though, which was kind of driving me nuts, and I was getting really tired of the 20 ISO rewards, but I played daily. I introduced the game to a friend. About a week later, we talked and he told me that although he liked the game, it was “pay 2 win” so he’d hacked it just to even the playing field. He told me how the hack worked and my descent began.
At first, the hack was exhilarating. I was able to increase my ISO and HP arbitrarily, which meant I could expand my roster and level at will. I started out with a rule for myself, I’d only hack to get one cover per day. That quickly turned into only one cover pack a day. Then, only one of each cover pack a day… I finally got the OBW covers I was longing for and rounded out my 2* roster. I found I could compete with the higher powered rosters I was seeing in the events. The hack took a game I liked and super-charged it, opening doors and removing all the things that annoyed me.
Then, I threw out my rule. Pretty soon, my roster was stocked with every character maxed or nearly so. Nothing in the game was beyond me. The prologue? A boring distraction and forgotten UI tab. Events? I could field a team that could beat anyone (BTW devs, Spider-Man should be nerfed). Placing in the top 5 vs. the top 50 of an event was just a matter of how much time I felt like burning on it. The first time I placed in the top 5, I did a fist-pump. The 5th time, I barely noticed, and why would I? Other than getting a completely new character’s cover, there was nothing to gain, I already had every cover and levelling was done.
You can guess what happened next. I quit playing. The fun that I’d had at first was gone. The thrill of finding new things, gone. The disappointments of dashed hopes, gone. Everything I liked (and disliked) about the game was gone. And I was the one who took it away.
I talked with the friend who introduced the hack to me. He’d stopped playing days before, citing pretty much the same experience. Hacking gave us power and we abused it. We hurt others, surely, by taking spots and rewards from them in tournaments. We hurt ourselves, by turning a game that had an enchanting element of luck and anticipation into a predictable chore. We didn’t like how it felt to play the game knowing that we didn’t earn our winnings.
I’m a big believer in second chances because I tend to make a lot of first mistakes. I deleted my game data, uninstalled the hacking software, and started a new game. Now, my Iron Man is level 10, Black Widow is level 6, Storm is level 2, I got a Captain America cover from a daily reward, but I don’t think I’ll be able to use it, I’m seriously considering levelling Hawkeye because I have 4 of his covers, and I have yet to pull an OBW cover. My team is so lame. But, last night, after 3 consecutive 20 ISO rewards, I got Storm’s red cover and I did a fist pump. I don’t know if it will be as fun as it was before, but it feels good to be playing again.
[tl;dr] My own hacking ruined the game for me and I suspect it would for you as well. Don’t do it.
This is what I was thinking. What is the point in playing events or anything if you already have the covers and iso you need and you can win every event with no effort? The reason it’s addicting is because you are constantly trying to get enough to level up this guy, or win that guy. Having everything for free in a matter of hours kind of defeats the whole purpose.
I saw some people saying things to the effect of “sandboxing actually sounds cool… it is like the casual game I want MPQ to be…”. This game is already very casual. The one who is not casual is you as the player. Playing in an alliance can put pressure on you especially if yours is a demanding one. Quit your alliance, play the game a set amount of time every day or every other day if you want. There is your casual game.
I read your post but it makes no sense i still have know clue to what sandbox even means, how do i get in the sandbox? I’ve been playing 125 days plus on steam
I’m surprised excessive P2W users don’t feel the same kind of apathy. It’s essentially the same as cheats but its legal and they’re paying money for them. If the cost to buy boosts is insignificant they might as well be cheating compared to those of us with budgets. 
Interesting story but not applicable to me. You are assuming that my motivations and my experiences mirror yours and they do not. I just reached my 180 day reward (yellow x-force) and I am still playing religiously. I still get excited when I get a new character or even the heroic 10 pack that I was shooting for. I just have less of the grind and stress. It appears that what motivates you is the competition and some feeling of accomplishment while what motivates me is the ability to play at my leisure and have the chance to earn the covers I want. I do not have to grind it out every 12 hours or so. I look at each event and plan on what I want to achieve for that event, whether it be a cover or some hp or a recruit token and I strive to reach that goal. I can reach the same goal but at a leisurely pace.
For example: for a 2 day event, I evaluate what goal I want to reach and what I need to do to reach it. I can then break that down into 12 hour segments and know that if I stay on that pace, I will reach my goal. I don’t have to worry about being attacked in a PvP event and watching my level go down. To me, shields are a non-factor and the grind is nonexistent. To me, that is what makes the game enjoyable. I can collect my roster without the stress.
You’ve got a funny understanding of the word “earn.”
In a perfect world this would be true, alas the world of MPQ is not perfect. If I did not grind it out, I would be stuck with a roster of 1* and 2* characters while MPQ is currently pushing for a 3* roster. (Just look at all of the new characters introduced: LDaken, LStorm, Sentry, etc.) Also, don’t forget that Nick Fury is alliance only. What I am saying is that this game is not set up for the casual player. You can only get so far and then you would just quit due to frustration.
How so? I still play each event as I would any other. I do not have a crazy amount of hp or iso. I still have many new characters that have only 1 or two covers and some that need iso to level them up. I still play the same way I did before except I don’t have to grind to do it.
I think that my post has been lost in translation due to everyone projecting what they would do in my stead. I did this so that I can merrily collect my covers without having to grind it out all of the time. If there were an offline mode that was similar to prologue but was updated with the new characters, I would be there all of the time and no one would ever see me in a PvP event. Unlike the ‘hacker’ above, I stopped the day I got sandboxed. Now I play like everyone else, I just don’t get attacked. I am fine with that.
Interesting topic 
It feels like sandboxing is a retirement and going to casual mode
You win in PVP by winning points and keeping them despite retaliations or fresh attacks. You are not earning anything because you are not even playing the game.
I suggest you try Puzzle Pirates or Dungeon Raid if you just want to match similar tiles at your own pace.
I rarely play PvP events. I play to collect covers and I have more than enough opportunity in the PvE events. Once again statements are either lost in translation or your soapbox is so large that the clouds are skewing your vision. Either way, it should be known that I do not play this simply to match similar tiles at my own pace. An oversimplification of my motivations for playing this game only weakens your point and concentrates your vitriol.
A casual mode where people could still earn their covers without the grind or constant competition, that sounds fun. Like way more fun than the current system. Some people might even ~pay~ for such a mode.
It sounds like the sandbox has the added benefit of being able to try any team at any time, rather than have your entire roster clogged up by useless characters with 5-7 covers.
Sandboxing sounds good to me, except that I LOVE my Alliance. And can’t imagine playing without them.
But if D3 were to add a separate game to the play store for $1.99 or whatever called “MPQ:Sandbox”, and I could play both independently, I would.
The trouble is, in MPQ, if you are casual you cannot really progress. Once you get up to maxed 2s (and even before then progress is slow as you are maxing your 2s), you really can’t earn usable 3*s unless you spend a lot of time or money, or are insanely lucky on random pulls over a long period of time.